1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water-removing ring used in a cooking utensil and more particularly to a device for collecting water inside a cooking pot.
2. Prior Art
When cooking tempura and karaage, each being Japanese dishes prepared by deep-frying with or without batter, a cover or lid is not used. In other words, there has been no thought of covering the cooking vessel when these food are prepared by oil heated in the vessel.
The reason for this is to prevent water droplets from falling into the heated oil. More specifically, during cooking, moisture is created, and the moisture gathers into water droplets which adhere to the undersurface of the cover. These water droplets would drop into the heated oil when the cover is removed during and after cooking. When water droplets drop into the heated oil, the oil is splashed and scattered around, endangering the food preparer.
If cooking with heated oil was performed under high-temperature conditions using a cooking vessel that has good heat-retaining properties and thermal conductivity made of a multi-layer metal material, a water seal is formed between the vessel and the lid. This is called "steam frying" cooking. In this "steam-frying" cooking, moisture in the oil and food ingredients evaporate and is filled inside the vessel, so that the "steam frying" provides extremely tasty dishes with a small amount of oil.
So as to realize this type of cooking, the inventor of the present application made an invention and filed a patent application in Japan (Japanese Patent Application laid-Open [Kokai] No. 62-139613). This device, a water-removing ring, is set on a cooking vessel. The water droplets flowing downward from the undersurface of the lid of the cooking vessel are collected in this ring and is re-evaporated so as to accelerate the steaming.
This water-removing ring is a useful device; however, for small cooking appliances, it is desirable that the water-removing ring be easily heated, which is the key to good moisture re-evaporation. In addition, it is also desirable that the ring does not cause the oil to spatter from below when the lid is removed.